American Pyramid

Unsure

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The morning of lockdown day dawned, and Victoria had notified Zak that she couldn't make it to breakfast that morning as she was called early by her supervisor asking if she could clock in early to complete required training. "You and Tori seem to be getting close." Aaron nudged, eager to see a relationship between Zak and Victoria unfold.

"Yeah," Zak nodded. "We haven't seen each other in four years."

"Believe us, we know," Aaron chuckled. "What did she say about the words she wrote on that paper?"

"I told her that I thought she had a gift that she may not even know yet, and she's open to learning more about her possible gift by talking to Marti and Michael, but she's unsure about coming to the next location with us."

"I think she'll like talking to them. It's probably a lot to take in." Nick commented, finishing off his coffee.

"You look like you're holding back something, bro," Aaron teased, judging by the smirk that failed to disappear from Zak's face. "Did you finally spill the beans about how you feel?"

"Not really spill the beans, but she admitted that the more she's around me, the more she likes me, and I told her I felt the same, but it's complicated."

"Yeah, it really is if you haven't broken things off with Wren..." Nick sighed. "How long have you two been together?"

"We've been on and off for two years," Zak shook his head, remembering that he had been intentionally ignoring her text messages. At no fault of her own, Wren had been worried about Zak's well-being, and rightfully so as they had made up for the fourth time after being separated for eight months. He knew she didn't deserve to be ignored, and it made his true feelings even more complicated because he didn't want to break things off with her, but he felt like there was a reason he had such strong feelings for Victoria, especially if he had been trying to track her down for the last four years since she disappeared. "She's a good girl, and I definitely don't deserve her, but our relationship hasn't been consistent. One day, she's fine with my schedule and knows how busy I get, then most days, she's blowing up my phone just begging me to call her. I feel like such an asshole for ignoring her, but it can be exhausting when we spend more time arguing and breaking up than being happy." He explained.

"Does she know that you stayed the weekend at Victoria's before you came here with her?"

"No," Zak shook his head. "I told her I was staying with a friend of mine for the weekend. Nothing happened between me and Victoria, but I feel like I cheated by telling her that I felt the same way she felt."

"Well, technically, you did," Aaron frowned. "Entertaining another girl is cheating, just like admitting your long-lost feelings for another girl is cheating, not telling the truth is cheating, and wanting to willingly spend more time with another girl is cheating. We all know that you and Victoria won't be just friends, bro. I think that you need to decide, because it's just going to cause more trouble if you try to keep it hidden."

"I know. It's just so complicated."

"It's only complicated because you're making it complicated. If you want to be with Tori, then you need to break things off with Wren in a civil way. Because you know that if Tori keeps hanging around, eventually, one of our fans is going to post a picture online with Tori somewhere in the background or with us, and I know Wren keeps tabs on your socials," Nick explained. "We all like Wren, and she's a very down to Earth girl, and she'll understand if you sit down and explain to her the feelings you have."

"You guys are right. I just feel like shit about this," Zak frowned, sincerely feeling horrible about the situation he caused himself. "You guys know I tried to move on after Tori disappeared, and I guess I moved on with Wren because she reminded me a lot of Tori by how down to Earth and genuine she is, but I just don't feel the spark like I feel when I'm with Tori. I just hate that I feel like I've been leading Wren on."

"Well, it takes a lot to admit that you're wrong, but you can't help how you feel, and people don't work out as couples. I'm sure Wren will understand."

"I'm going to tell her in person. It won't be right to do it over the phone or text." He sighed, shaking his head. He felt as if he used Wren to move on from Tori, but he knew that it wouldn't work out in the long run. Wren had her moments as well as Zak, but they shared nothing in common. Zak was an introvert, whereas Wren was an introvert. Zak liked shooting guns and driving UTV's while Wren was terrified of guns and getting dirty. Zak hated crowds whereas Wren was a social butterfly. The only thing they had in common was that they both liked horror movies, and that was the only thing they shared.

"Good. Just don't keep entertaining Tori until you sort this out with Wren, because Tori doesn't deserve that, either."

"I know, but I feel like I already made a mistake."

"You didn't... do anything with her, have you?" Nick arched his brow.

"No. The only thing we did was hug, but no kissing or no sex." Zak shook his head.

"Good. Don't blatantly ignore Tori, because if you do, she'll know something is up and you don't want her to pull away if you want a relationship with her, but don't let her get too close until you sort things out with Wren."

"I'll keep it just like it is now."

"Please, because as much as I like having Wren around, I would rather see you with Tori," Nick chuckled. "You're different when you're around her, and you deserve to be happy, but you can't be happy when you can possibly make unnecessary drama within your life."

"And no making moves when you take her back home, either!" Aaron warned. "I like having Tori around, too. Wren is a nice girl, but I don't think you two match very well. She needs to move on and find a man that's fit for her, and you two always fighting more than you're happy isn't a good mix."

"I know. I agree. I've wanted Tori so bad, man. For so long."

"Trust me, we know."

"We all know." Aaron laughed.